Yalobusha County Historical Society Minutes, Oct. 21, 2011, Emily-Jo Wiggins

[Joy]

The Yalobusha Historical Society met Oct. 21, 2011 in the former
Presbyterian Church in Coffeeville. There were thirty-five members and
guests present. The opening prayer was spoken by Ralph Litten. Mike
Worsham welcomed everyone. Joy Tippit thanked members and friends of
rhe YHS for making their General Store a success. Ann Mills won the
hoop of cheese donated by Spains. Loretta Crawford won the painting
donated by Amy McMinn and George Miller Jr. won the baby quilt donated
by Pat Brooks.

Julia Fernandez introduced the guest speaker, Emily-Jo Wiggins of the
North Mississippi Fish Hatchery Visitor Education Center.

Located on Enid Lake at Exit 233 east off I-55, the North Mississippi
Fish Hatchery Visitor Education Center is a unique facility for local
residents and visitors to the lake. The presentation on the 20th gave
the audience the opportunity to experience a walkthrough of the
Center, gave a brief look into the Hatchery’s operations, and gave an
extensive description of the Center’s past and future programs.
Many of Mississippi’s native plant species cover the landscape at the
entrance, and a 10,000 gallon aquarium is located at the center of the
facility, featuring many of the different species raised at the
Hatchery as well as other Mississippi native freshwater species found
in local lakes. Fish species include familiar catches like the
largemouth bass and less well-known Mississippi natives like the Gulf
Coast Walleye. Visitors have the opportunity to feed catfish in the
Rodeo Pond or koi carp in the two 80-foot raceways, which is a great
experience for the entire family! The Education Center also displays
renowned Mississippians’ work including Joe Mac Hudspeth’s photographs
and Don Jacob’s murals.
Discussed at the presentation were the programs offered by the
Education Center throughout the year. Free with the price of
admission, programs are scheduled for a variety of ages and interests.
These include The History of Enid Lake presented by Mike Robison,
USACE supervisory ranger at Enid Lake and the Crappie Jig-Tying
Program by local fishing expert Gwin Jackson. Other programs include a
Pond Management Seminar and lessons in Fish Identification. In
addition to these, programs for the youth include Camp Fish, a four
day long day-camp, and our Spring Fishing Rodeo, which attracted over
300 young anglers this past May! The Education Center also hosts an
annual Halloween pumpkin program and scavenger hunt as well as an
annual Christmas bird feeder program. Added to the list of events are
traveling exhibits and displays by famous artists like the Water
Valley Imagination Station students!
Although, some will be repeated next year, there will be new programs
planned for 2012. To date over six thousand people have enjoyed the
NMFH Visitor Education Center this year. Guided tours are available
for groups of 10 or more, but the Education Center is always opened
for self-guided tours. This November thru February the Center will be
closed on Saturdays and Sundays but opened throughout the week 7:30 AM
to 3:30 PM. If you have any questions call the Center at (662) 563 –
8068 or check the NMFH web site at http://home.mdwfp.com/NMFH/ for
admission, hours of operation, and a calendar of events.
The next meeting of the YHS will be Nov. 17, 2011. The guest speaker,
Bob Tyler, will speak on Mississippi Recreation.
Attending: Alma Moorman, Tom Moorman, Bettie Litten, Lawrence Litten,
Granville Vaughn, Carl Vick, Mae Vick, Susan Roach Wiggins, Erin
Wiggins, Rachel Wiggins, Julia Fernandez, Joy Herron, Joy Tippit, Bob
Tyler, Debby Hughes Betty Miller, Francine Pinnix, Thelma Roberts,
Kay McCulley, Bobbie Hutchins, Jimmy Pinnix, Dave Hovey, Helen Jones,
Kathryn Tierce, Betty Porter, Ann Harland Russell, Sarah H. Williams,
Opal Wright, Bob Lippincott, Sue Fly, James Person, John Moorman, Dot
Criss, Bobby Hutchins, Mike Worsham
Submitted by: Joy Tippit